Facts About Tendonitis

False. Tendonitis is the inflammation (swelling) of a tendon, the fibrous tissue cords that connect muscles to bones. These connections are found in joints, but the structures that are swollen are different.

“Frozen shoulder” is a form of tendonitis.

True. Frozen shoulder is also known as “adhesive capsulitis”.

The shoulder’s rotator cuff is made of tendons and muscles.

True. “The upper arm bone (the humerus) is connected to the shoulder by muscles and tendons. Four of these muscle-tendon groups form the rotator cuff, which controls rotation of the arm out away from the body and stabilizes the shoulder. The cuff part comes from the four tendons merging together to form a cap" or "hood" around the head of the humerus. The head of this bone can be thought of as the ball in the 'ball and socket' joint which is your shoulder. This joint allows motion in a full circle, but this may be limited by tendinitis in the cuff”. –Johns Hopkins Sports Medicine Patient Guide to Rotator Cuff Tendinitis website: http://www.hopkinsortho.org/rotator_cuff_tendinitis.html

I’m not a runner, so I won’t develop Achilles tendonitis.

False. Although this is a common injury in runners, the Achilles tendon can be injured, resulting in swelling, from overuse, wearing shoes without sufficient cushioning, or from arthritis or bone spurs in the heel.